Artemis Hexley and the Circle of Khanna

Chapter 7: The Lady by the Lake

The teachers may have wanted to keep their conversation in the Hospital Wing a secret, but by Monday evening, the entire school was buzzing with the news about the student who had been turned into a statue.

"I've got some bad news," Penny told the other Hufflepuff girls, having returned to the Common Room pink-cheeked and wide-eyed. "The boy who's been cursed... Well, it's Corey Hayden."

Artemis turned to look at Rowan, who was frowning deeply. Artemis reached across to squeeze her hand. Though she did not know Corey at all well personally, she knew that Rowan was fond of him, the two of them being occasional study partners. They had even spent Valentine's Day together in their fifth year, and attended the Celestial Ball together in their fourth.

Rowan squeezed Artemis' hand back before she spoke. "Does anyone know how it happened?"

"No one knows. He went to revise in the library on Saturday morning, and never arrived for dinner in the evening. Everyone was out watching the Quidditch, so nobody saw a thing. They've closed the library, just in case."

"The teachers seemed to think it might be the next Cursed Vault," whispered Artemis, choosing to ignore the fact that Rowan looked even more horrified at the news of the library being closed than her former date being turned into stone.

"So, does that mean that more people might become statues?"

"Does that mean that the library will be closed until the curse is broken?"

"Does it mean you're going to start poking your nose around in the Cursed Vaults again?" Tonks asked.

"I dunno. Dumbledore said at the end of last year that Jacob would be doing it."

"But no one knows where he is at the moment, except for the Weasley twins thinking that they saw him in the forest," Rowan pointed out.

Artemis nodded. She still hadn't her friends about the letter Jacob had left for her, and now that a couple of weeks had passed since then, it seemed pointless to tell them now.

"I guess it couldn't do any harm to try and find out some information," she said, and her friends all exchanged glances. "Well, it couldn't! Not if it helps Jacob find the Vault sooner."

"But how are you going to find out information?" asked Rowan. "The library's closed!"

"Well, Flitwick said that they found a load of Rakepick's research in her office. All about mermaids and grindylows. And Hagrid told Charlie that the grindylows in the Black Lake have been acting strangely since we got back from the holidays."

"So, you think the lake might have something to do with the Vault?"

"It might do. That would make sense, wouldn't it?" Artemis nodded. "Right. I'll go down there later, have a look to see if I can find any clues."

"Is that a good idea?" Behind her glasses, Rowan's brown eyes were filled with concern. "Dumbledore said that he doesn't need your help, and with Rakepick still on the loose..."

"We should at least all go together," Tonks suggested. "It'll be safer, if we are all there."

It wasn't so much the idea of dragging her friends back into the dangerous riddles of the Cursed Vaults as it was the mention of Rakepick's name that made Artemis shake her head.

"No," she said, definitely. "No, I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not."

"Because of... Because if all four of us go down there, someone's bound to notice. At least if it's just me, it'll be less obvious. It will, Rowan!"